Star Trek: Elite Force II
(PC) (Mac) |year = 2378, 2380 |stardate = 57039.2 |reference = (US PC) (US Mac) (UK PC) (UK Mac) (Germany PC) (Germany Mac) |platform = |rating = |genre = First-person shooter }} Star Trek: Elite Force II is a first-person shooter video game published as a sequel to Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force. Summary Elite Force II is a follow-on to the hugely successful Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force. Developed by Ritual Entertainment and published by Activision, the game is a first-person shooter that employs the talents of some of Star Trek s most recognized voice actors. Following on from the original game, the player takes the role of Lieutenant Alexander Munro, a member of the specialist unit called the Hazard Team aboard the starship . Upon the ship's return from being stranded in the Delta Quadrant, the future of the Hazard Team is in doubt. Split up and posted to different assignments, the members of the Hazard Team return to their normal everyday duties. That is until Captain Jean-Luc Picard requests their help on the . Elite Force II possesses nearly double the levels of the original game with a story that takes the player from Starfleet Academy to the darkened halls of an abandoned Federation starship, to a secret base on the edge of the Romulan Neutral Zone. With new features such as tricorder puzzles, hidden secrets and in-game bonuses, Elite Force II has hours of additional gameplay action. Storyline "Endgame" The first level follows the sequence of events of the episode . Voyager, having entered the Borg transwarp network, is en route to Earth at unimaginable speeds, but has been caught by a Borg sphere and trapped inside. It is up to the Hazard Team, led by Lt. Munro (aka the player) to beam into the sphere and utilize every bit of knowledge about the Borg to free the vessel before it is assimilated. "Reassignment" Having returned to the Alpha Quadrant, Munro is assigned by a Starfleet flunky to teach at the Academy. Skipping ahead two years to 2380, Munro is teaching his Klingon student Korban in a holodeck program. At the end of the program, they leave the holodeck to see their session had been observed by Jean-Luc Picard. He is interested in the idea of a Hazard Team for the , and organizes Munro's transfer. "Derelict" Before Munro can settle in on the Enterprise, they receive a distress call from the USS Dallas, an starship in orbit of an Attrexian station. The Attrexians are a race seeking Federation membership. Boarding the vessel in environmental suits, Munro must get the vessel back online and find out what happened to it, as well as being reunited with an old friend – Telsia Murphy, one of Munro's former partners on the Voyager Hazard Team. "Demise" Realizing the Dallas was attacked by a creature who can chew through a tritanium hull while responding to a distress call from the Attrexians, Munro and his team are shuttled down to the station to protect the Attrexians and to try and find out more about the creatures. "Discovery" Following the ion trail from the creature's impulse drive after being forced out of the station, they find an Idryll planet, a primitive slave race of the Attrexians who believe they existed before the Attrexians. Meeting some Idryll scientists, the Hazard Team find out the creatures, known as Exomorphs, are manufactured from the raw materials in the planet's core as slaves, but have malfunctioned to become "evil." "Destruction", "Remove and Disable" Responding to another distress call from another Attrexian colony, the Enterprise warps in to find an Idryll ship waiting for them. The Hazard Team prepare to beam down, but the Idryll ship opens fire on the Enterprise when the shields are lowered. Picard discovers the Idryll are under Krindo's command – one of the scientists from the Idryll planet (the last level) who is furious that his colleague Kleeya chose to stay on the Enterprise to help stop the Exomorphs and to stay with Lt. Munro. Intruders beam in, and the Hazard Team deploy to fight off Krindo's forces. "Search and Rescue" Finally able to shuttle down to the Attrexian planet, the Hazard Team renders whatever aid they can. "Payback" Tracking Krindo to a nearby planet, and with the Enterprise under repair, the Hazard Team shuttle to the Idryll planet after him. Krindo only stops the attacks when he realizes his father is helping the Attrexians on the planet under attack. "Mercenaries" Krindo confesses he made money to fund his expedition by selling priceless artifacts and secrets of the expedition to a Ferengi. Krindo surmises that the Ferengi decoded the location of the Master Control Facility, which can override all other Exomorph controls. After arranging to meet this Ferengi on an old starbase, he is captured (by the player). "Incognito" The Ferengi eventually divulges he sold the location of the Master Control Facility to a group of Romulans calling themselves the Empty Crown. Munro infiltrates the base of the Empty Crown, and discovers the location of the Master Control Facility. "Endgame 2" The final battle, in the Romulan Neutral Zone, to stop the Empty Crown utilizing the Exomorphs, who destroyed the once powerful Idryll civilization when they gained intelligence. Gameplay Weapons and equipment * Phaser: standard hand phaser with two settings, normal and vaporize. * Phaser Compression Rifle: phaser rifle with two settings, normal and vaporize. * Enhanced Compression Rifle: a rapid fire version of the standard compression rifle, firing a series of compressed phased pulses. Comes with an integrated grenade launcher that fires a compressed phased grenade with instant detonation upon hitting a target. * Assault Rifle: the 24th century equivalent of a shotgun. Primary fires a plasma shot while secondary fires like a railgun with a blue tracer. * Sniper Rifle: high-powered single-shot rifle capable of disintegrating an enemy on a direct hit. * Grenade Launcher: improved version of the grenade launcher from the first game. Fires photon grenades that can be timed to explode near the enemy. * Attrexian Arc Launcher: standard rifle of the Attrexian people. Primary fire launches electric bolts at the target while secondary fires an EMP cloud that can be ignited with primary fire to electrify enemies. * Infinity Modulator: a weapon designed by Seven of Nine specifically for use against the Borg, the I-MOD constantly re-modulates its energy beam, making it impossible for the Borg to adapt to it in the conventional manner. * Tetryon Gatling Gun: fires a laser-like projectile at the target with the ability to bounce off surfaces in secondary mode. * Quantum Burst: essentially a hand-held quantum torpedo launcher with secondary fire mode providing a target acquisition feature. * Romulan Disruptor: the standard Romulan disruptor rifle fires green projectiles at the target with the ability to constantly recharge itself, providing for infinite energy. * Romulan Radiation Disruptor: hand-held weapon that fires an enormous radiation pulse at the target inflicting massive damage. * Klingon ''bat'leth: close-quarters Klingon weapon * Tricorder: standard Federation tricorder used to scan and reroute computer consoles and detect gas, heat and structural weaknesses. Hidden bonuses There are numerous hidden bonuses and extras scattered throughout Elite Force II. Throughout most levels in the game are "secret areas", locations within the game that can only be accessed by destroying a structurally weak wall or pressing a computer console, for example. These areas contain items such as extra health, armor and ammunition for the player to obtain. Perhaps the most interesting secret area can be found in the mission "Demise" whereby the player can jump down a pipe hidden away behind an destructable wall, taking them to an interactive -style side-scrolling mini-game. In addition to the normal secret areas, hidden throughout the game are 70 "golden starships". Styled after an Excelsior-class model, these ships can be collected to open up access to secret stand-alone levels, accessible through the game's main menu. The final hidden bonus comes in the form of a secret in-game weapon called the Idryll Staff, which the player can acquire by finding and accessing specially hidden secret areas that require solving a puzzle. Characters Hazard Team Lieutenant Alexander Munro Originally considered too reckless by Lieutenant Commander Tuvok when the team was formed aboard the , Munro proved himself a skilled and capable leader of the Hazard Team, but is also very willing to undertake dangerous mission objectives on his own. Now promoted to Lieutenant after the incident with the Forge, Lieutenant Munro is assigned to teach small-group tactics at Starfleet Academy after the return of Voyager before being noticed by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. The esteemed captain asks Munro to recreate the Hazard Team aboard the . After requesting transfers for most of the old team to the Enterprise, and gaining some new promising members as well, Munro leads one of the most elite teams in the Alpha Quadrant. Ensign Telsia Murphy Telsia Murphy is proficient with long range weaponry and an excellent sniper. She has close affections to her superior, Lieutenant Munro, but is able to keep her emotions under control while on missions. Much to her objections, Telsia was transferred after returning to Earth, and was assigned to lead the security force aboard the USS Dallas. After the incident in which most of the security crew of the Dallas were killed, Telsia is integrated into the crew of the Enterprise, and takes her place as second-in-command of the Hazard Team. Ensign Chell A member of the Maquis resistance before being forced to join the Voyager crew, Chell is a Bolian with an excellent understanding of technology from all races. This skill has earned him the role as a field technician of the Hazard Team, and has allowed him to improve the effectiveness of Federation weapons. Although reluctant to engage in a combat situation, Chell is a valuable member of the team in alien environments. Assigned to a research outpost after the return of Voyager, Chell is also called away from that duty to serve aboard the Enterprise. He takes his old job of the Hazard Team's field technician specialist, and couldn't be happier. Ensign Austin Chang A close friend of Lieutenant Munro, Austin Chang can be quite quiet and reserved when it comes to socializing with other members of the crew. Chang serves as the Hazard Team's demolitions expert, and is more than willing to turn large obstacles into tiny fragments. He is the member of choice when attempting to force entry into an enemy colony or structure. Chang is very happy to be working for the Hazard Team again, on the Enterprise no less, but still has a rocky relationship with fellow team member Juliet Jurot. Ensign Juliet Jurot Although she is a full Betazoid, Juilet Jurot attended the Vulcan Science Academy where she learned to train her mental and telepathic powers. During this time she also trained in basic medicine, and therefore was a perfect candidate for field medic when the Hazard Team was aboard Voyager. Loyal to her superiors and the Federation, Jurot puts the well-being of others above her own. After the return of Voyager, she returned to the Vulcan Science Academy to further hone her skills. After reactivating her Starfleet commission, she was more than pleased to return to the Hazard Team aboard the Enterprise. Ensign Korban A student of Lieutenant Munro's Small Arms Tactics course, Korban was impressed by Munro and the idea of the Hazard Team seeing his recommendation for the assignment as a great honor. Korban is a valuable asset to the team, not just in terms of his strength and combat acument, but in his role as the team armorer, designing and upgrading the weapons used by the Hazard Team. Ensign Jorge Gonzales Originally assigned to the USS Dallas, Ensign Gonzales was rescued from the ship during an attack by Exomorphs. At the request of Lieutenant Munro, Gonzales is assigned to the USS Enterprise-E as Hazard Team scout. Ensign Sydney Stockman Fresh out of Starfleet Academy where she attained the elite position as Nova Squadron leader, Ensign Stockman serves at the shuttle pilot for the Hazard Team. Despite her limited experience, Sydney is a natural and capable pilot. USS Enterprise crew Captain Jean-Luc Picard Commanding Officer of the Enterprise-E, Captain Picard became a staunch supporter of the Hazard Team concept after listening to Lieutenant Munro after one of his Small Arms Tactics courses at Starfleet Academy. Impressed by Munro's experience on Voyager, Picard was eager to establish a team on the Enterprise, giving the project his full backing. Lieutenant Commander Tuvok In the absence of Lieutenant Commander Worf, Tuvok temporarily assumes the position of ship's Tactical Officer, and Munro's superior, on the USS Enterprise, guiding the Lieutenant in his leadership of the Hazard Team. Lieutenant Reginald Barclay A talented starship engineer, Lieutenant Barclay serves as the Chief Engineering Officer on the Enterprise, assisting the Hazard Team with repairs to their shuttlecraft and ensuring the ship itself is kept in working order. Allies and adversaries Krindo An Idryll scientist, Krindo wages a brief war against the Enterprise after Munro and the Hazard Team destroy his research on the Exomorphs. Realizing he is in the wrong, Krindo relents and helps the crew put a stop to further Exomorph attacks on Attrexian worlds. Kleeya The partner of Krindo, Kleeya is a scientist devoted to proving the Idryll have a history reaching far back into ancient times. She deplores Krindo's methods and decides to stay and help the crew of the Enterprise put an end to the Exomorph threat. Omag A devious Ferengi weapons trader, Omag sold the location of the Exomorph control facility to Romulan Commander Suldok on the promise it wouldn't be used against any Ferengi world. Detained and interrogated by the Hazard Team for assisting in the Attrexian attacks, Omag eventually reveals his client's whereabouts. Lurok A Klingon mercenary, Lurok defends Omag when he is confronted by Munro and the Hazard Team, giving the Ferengi time to escape the Klingon starbase. Lurok is defeated in battle by Munro who takes his signature Tetryon Gattling Gun as a trophy. Commander Suldok Romulan commander and leader within the group known as the Empty Crown that believed the Romulan Star Empire had grown too weak in its dealings with outsiders such as the Federation. Suldok launches a plan to take control of the Empire using the Exomorphs as his private army but is defeated thanks to the efforts of the Hazard Team. Cast and crew Voice cast * Rino Romano as Lieutenant Alexander Munro * Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard * Tim Russ as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok * Dwight Schultz as Lieutenant Reginald Barclay * Iris Bahr as Ensign Telsia Murphy * Andy Milder as Ensign Chell * Alex Enberg as Ensign Austin Chang * Leigh Allyn Baker as Ensign Juliet Jurot * Raymond Cruz as Ensign Jorge Gonzalez * Alexis Lang as Ensign Jack Franklin * Tony Todd as Ensign Korban * Jeffrey Combs as Commander Suldok * Terryn Westbrook as Crewman Sydney Stockman * B.J. Ward as Katarina Scott * Martha Hackett as Doctor Stevenson * Neil Ross as Stemmons * Robert O'Reilly as Krindo * Amanda Winn as Kleeya * Vaughn Armstrong as various voices * Clint Carmichael as the Nausicaan bouncer * Matt Malloy as Omag * J.G. Hertzler as Lurok * Tony Jay as Archeopendra * Tom Kane as various voices * Denice Kumagai as various voices * Lisa LoCicero as various voices * Richard Penn as a Borg * David Randolph as a Borg * Charles Bazaldua as Borg * Terrence Beasor as Borg Crew * Ron Surma – Casting Director * Kris Zimmerman – Voice Director Critical reception Reception to Elite Force II was generally positive with reviewers praising the graphical enhancements over the original game as well as the balance maintained between action, stealth and storyline. Mark Smith of Game Chronicles enjoyed the storyline and missions, praising the ability to walk around the Enterprise between missions and the sound quality of the weapons. He was, however, disappointed with the tricorder minigames which he described as "stimulating but terribly simple, even on the hardest levels." http://www.gamechronicles.com/reviews/pc/stef2/stef2.htm PC Arena awarded the game a 9/10 rating, enthusiastically writing, "The effects look like they came right out of the series and the voiceovers, as expected are top-notch. Some of the character's jokes really catch you off guard and if you're as geeky as the rest of us, you'll be foaming at the mouth before you know it." http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/star-trek-elite-force-ii/critic-reviews While he gave the game an 8.4/10 "Great" rating, IGN s Ivan Sulic was disappointed with the game's simplicity, writing, "If you need to seriously think while playing, you're going to seriously need to head back to grammar school and play with the colored blocks." Sulic praised the improvements made from the first installment but labelled the game a "twitch shooter", fun for those players who enjoy slaughtering "enemies at a frantic pace and in cliched situations". http://uk.ign.com/articles/2003/06/24/elite-force-ii-review?page=2 Similarly, Computer Games Magazine deplored the game's "lackluster level design" and "turgid story" awarding it a 5/10 rating http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/star-trek-elite-force-ii/critic-reviews, while Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer complained about the game's "inability to innovate consistently" with little to no replay value. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_eliteforce2_pc Elite Force II holds a rating of 78% on Metacritic and 80% on GameRankings. Appendices Background information The voice actors behind Munro, Telsia, Chang and Jurot reprise their roles from the [[Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force|original Elite Force]] game, as does Tim Russ as Tuvok. According to conversations with non-player character crew members during certain levels, William T. Riker (and presumably Deanna Troi) are no longer on the Enterprise, presumably assigned to the following Riker's promotion in . However, several other cast members of are absent as well, the most prominent being Doctor Crusher and Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge, the latter being replaced as Chief Engineer by Lieutenant Reginald Barclay. Worf is described as being on shore leave during the events of the game and is thus replaced temporarily by Tuvok. In the original game, Chell was voiced by Derek McGrath, who played the same character in and . In Elite Force II he is voiced by Andy Milder who previously appeared on-screen as the Bolian Boq'ta in , as well as voicing Brex in Star Trek: Bridge Commander. The choice to play as a male or female character (named Alexander or Alexandra, respectively) was present in the first game but is removed from the sequel. This also marks the first time a Denobulan has appeared in a Star Trek video game. Among the images displayed on various LCARS screens is a picture of , the Apollo 11 mission, the Female Changeling and the D'Arsay from . The Dallas survivors use the transporter to store their bio patterns and await rescue from the Hazard Team, the same technique Montgomery Scott uses in . Among the survivors is Scotty's great-granddaughter, Katarina Scott, who references the technique in-game. During the mission "Mercenaries", a male Andorian and a female Klingon can be overheard negotiating for transport with a Human freighter captain in the bar on the Klingon station. The Andorian states he requires a large vessel to which the Human boasts her Wodan-class cargo ship can outhaul even the largest Romulan D'deridex-class starship. When asked what the cargo is, the Andorian replies, "Only myself, ten transport containers of domesticated targ and no questions asked." They then disagree on the fee with the Klingon stating they could purchase their own Bird-of-Prey for the price the Human is asking. Eventually, they agree to pay half of the fee at the time and the second half when they reach their destination. This entire exchange is a reference to the famous cantina scene featuring Obi Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker asking Han Solo for transport on the Millennium Falcon in [[starwars:Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope|''Star Wars'': Episode IV A New Hope]]. In the mission "Incognito", the player overhears two Romulans discussing how long their Starfleet prisoner will last before cracking under the pressure of interrogation. One of the Romulans comments that a previous Starfleet prisoner resisted the attempts of a Cardassian interrogator, a reference to Jean-Luc Picard's capture in and . Elite Force II was the final game published by Activision following a long-running dispute with Star Trek license holder . http://spong.com/article/5177/Activision-accuses-Viacom-of-Trek-laziness http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/activision-and-viacom-settle-star-trek-dispute http://www.engadget.com/2005/03/15/activision-viacom-settle-trek-dispute/ It was also one of the last games to be developed on the game engine. http://uk.ign.com/articles/2011/04/28/a-history-of-id-tech References 2378; 2380; air; ; Andoria; Andorian; Apollo 11; archaeology; armory; bat'leth; ; Betazoid; bio-scanner; Bolian; Borg; Borg alcove; Borg drone; Borg sphere; blood; ; bridge; briefing room; brig; cadet; captain's ready room; cargo bay; chess; class M; cloaking device; ; cockpit; combadge; computer; command center; conduit; console; counselor; D'Arsay; ; death; Deep Space Station K-7; dedication plaque; defensive system; denebian slime devil; Denobulan; doctor; Dominion; dom-jot; distress call; d'k tahg; driver coil; engineer; engineering; ; ; ; fairy tale; Ferengi; Ferengi shuttle; Ferenginar; force field; gagh; Golden Gate Bridge; Gorn; holodeck; hologram; holodeck safety protocol; hull; Human; impulse drive; insect; ; intruder alert; jefferies tube; kiss; Klingon; Klingon opera; latinum; launch pad; LCARS; library; master systems display; money; miner; nacelle; Nausicaan; observation lounge; officer; orbit; PADD; Pakled; pattern buffer; phaser; phaser rifle; photon torpedo; planet; planetary defense system; plant; plasma; plasma vent; plasma regulator; poker; red alert; replicator; Rigel; Risa; Regulan bloodworm; Remus; Romulan; Romulan ale; Romulan Neutral Zone; Romulan shuttle; Romulan tricorder; Rules of Acquisition; saliva; San Francisco; ; security; security alert; sensor; shields; shuttlebay; sickbay; solar system; soup; ; space; space station; starbase; Starbase 12; Starfleet; Starfleet Academy; Starfleet Command; stew; snow; surgery; Tal Shiar; targ; Tholian; transporter; tribble; tricorder; tritanium; turbolift; teacher; Type 11 shuttlecraft; United Federation of Planets; ; Vulcan; warp core; warp drive; quarters ; : A neutral race of spacefaring miners from the planet Attrexia, they claim a small empire of 12 star systems and 23 colony worlds. ; : Region located within the Alpha Quadrant and home of the Attrexian civilization. ; : An starship under the command of Captain Calloway who, like most of the crew, is killed when biomechanical creatures attack the ship. The ship's dedication plaque reads "the last of her class." ; : The result of highly complex genetic engineering, the Exomorphs were created by the Idryll to serve them as worker beasts. After gaining intelligence, they rebelled against their masters, reducing the once powerful Idryll civilization to a pre-warp culture. ; : An ancient civilization from the Beta Quadrant, the Idryll were once a powerful race but were reduced to a pre-warp culture following a rebellion by lower class worker beasts called the Exomorphs. Later integrated into Attrexian society. ; : A faction of the Romulan Star Empire, the Empty Crown believe Romulus has grown weak in its dealings with the Federation and other enemies, its goal to remove the current leadership and build a more aggressive and powerful Empire in its place. External links * Official homepage * * * * The Synapse – mods, tutorials and fan site * * [http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/star-trek-elite-force-ii/critic-reviews Star Trek: Elite Force II ratings] at Metacritic * [http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/560901-star-trek-elite-force-ii/index.html Star Trek: Elite Force II ratings] at GameRankings de:Star Trek: Elite Force II Elite Force II